For years now we have been hosting events, promising to give our fans today’s favorite authors and some hidden gems we’ve grown to love. These events cannot happen without our sponsoring authors. Please visit these authors and get to know them. You will find that they aren’t a whole lot different than you are, they just hear voices every now and then.

You need to keep all your correspondence as an author separate from your personal email. A hotmail.com or gmail.com account is great to start with, but as you look into designing and getting your own webpage, your email should reflect that address.

Have a unique signature line that links to your other social media accounts and website. Things to include in your signature:

If it is to SELL books…you are overlooking the true benefit of signings.

So what should your goal be? It’s very simple. You are NOT there to make a profit and sell books, YOU NEED TO BUILD A LIST. That’s where your Golden Egg is, in the LIST. Fans that are either new or old that took time to stop by your table. Those are the fans who want to get to know you better. Those are the fans that you can build and start sending newsletters too, inviting to your page, those are the people you want to create a personal connection with, so that they are excited when your next book in a series comes out.

That should be the #1 GOAL of going to a BOOK SIGNING. You can sell books, yes that is fantastic, but your main purpose should be to go out there with at least a sign-up sheet to gather everybody who stops by and says hello to you while you’re at an author event.

Another challenge we are noticing is when you’re in that last week or two crunch time before an event, you don’t know what else that you are missing to bring to an author event. How about if you had a check-list so you didn’t forget a single item? Jump back to the Facebook Author Group and click on the “File” and download the form so you never have to pull your hair out before an event.

You never want fans to look at your author photo and think “oh my god”. You either will be a published author very soon or already are and just like any other professional, you need a photograph for marketing purposes.

There is a great debate on whether or not you should pay for a professional photographer. I don’t see where that would ever hurt, but since you are probably very limited on budget, here are four tips to consider:

Taking the Photo on your own
Invest in a good camera, and find someone who knows how to use it. It’ll pay off in the end — for one, you can take photos on your book tour and at other events, which are always nice to have. Along with also being able to use it for some great author pictures. Sources: Sources: ashlandcreekpress.com

Choosing a Photographer to take the photo
Resolution and Image Rights – Make sure the photographer provides you with photos in high resolution which enables you to use them flexibly. In addition, image rights should be discussed with the photographer in advance. Ensure that you become the owner of the rights in order to prevent paying any licence fees (or royalties) for every time you use your photographs. Sources: Sources: bookcovercafe.com, ashlandcreekpress.com

Pick the right clothes
Don’t overdress. Say no to busy patterns, large florals, and anything loud. Make certain your clothes send the message you want to project. What persona do you want to project? Warm and welcoming? Wise? Mysterious? Approachable? Unapproachable? Plan this.

And always remember…have fun with it
Pick a location that makes you smile and just have fun.